A number of oral hygiene devices are conventionally available which function for oral cleansing and gum massage which employ a variable pressure stream of fluid. Such devices are designed to cleanse the mouth using water pressure to irrigate food and other debris from between the teeth and gums. The varying stream also has the additional benefit of massaging the gums of the user and increasing bloodflow thereto.
One of the best known devices currently on the market is the Waterpik oral irrigator (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,302,186; 4,229,634; 4,337,040; and 4,989,590). Most such Waterpik systems and those of many other manufacturers employ an electrically powered pump which imparts varying fluid pressure to a fluid stream communicated to a user-held handle through a flexible hose. In use, the pump is activated and water or other liquid is extracted from a reservoir having a finite supply therein. It is then pressurized by the pump and communicated through a hose to a handle where it is dispensed in a fluid stream at the distal end of the handle. This fluid stream is directed by the user to various positions in the mouth in order to flush particulate matter from the teeth and gums and to concurrently massage the gums.
The reservoir included with most such reservoir-supplied systems is dimensioned to hold sufficient water or other cleaning fluid to last through several cleanings using the system. Although the Waterpik is a popular and effective oral cleansing device, the limited reservoir supply is a vexing problem requiring constant refilling. Another potential problem with this system is that the leftover liquid in the reservoir may become stagnant between cleanings, which can be unsanitary and impart an odor to the room the device occupies.
In order to maintain the fluid in the reservoir in a sanitary manner in reservoir-supplied water ejection systems, many users opt to change the liquid frequently or fill the reservoir with fresh water or cleaning fluid immediately prior to each use. This can be very inconvenient and time consuming, and can increase operating costs if a fluid other than water is employed.
Further, the physical dimensions of such pressurized water or fluid dispensing devices, which is dictated by the inclusion of a fluid reservoir, tend to have an inherently large footprint relative to the small confines of most bathroom counter tops. With the other hygiene and beauty items which also compete for counter top space such as electric toothbrushes, hair dryers, curlers and makeup kits, little space is left for devices which employ a large reservoir that must be placed near or adjacent to an electrical outlet.
Finally, while there are other devices that provide for under-counter mounting, they also require that the counter itself be modified to provide a passage for the water supply conduit. In expensive counter tops such as granite or marble, this is a problem that can cost the homeowner a large expense for professional installation. Even in less expensive construction, the cutting of the proper sized aperture in the counter top is beyond the abilities of most homeowners, thereby requiring them to seek professional help.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,593,707 (Pifer) teaches an oral hygiene device that dispatches with the need for a reservoir or counter top modification. Pifer teaches a toothbrush with a jet nozzle at the end of a detachable handle. The handle is fed by flexible fluid duct from the hot and cold water spigot. A dentifrice is employed with Pifer from another source or from a reservoir connected by a separate duct to the jet brush attachment. Pifer, however, attaches to the end of the faucet which is unsightly and places the water conduit over the sink where it is in the way and subject to damage. The Pifer device also adds a reservoir to the counter top in another mode which as noted is a problem in itself.
Pre-grant application No. 2006/0079818 (Yande) provides a water pulsing for a dental hygiene that connects to one or both water supply lines of the faucet. However, Yande provides no solution other than cutting a hole in the counter top to communicate the handle above the sink. Further, once in such a position, Yande is not easily disconnected nor adapted to other uses.
As such, there exists a need for an apparatus that will allow connection of a water jet oral hygiene device above the counter top in a bathroom. Such a device should allow for the elimination of a reservoir if desired by providing a pressurized water supply to the hose feeding the water hygiene device. Such a device should provide for refilling a reservoir if desired by the user. Still further, such a device should provide the user with a connection means that is disengageable, and alternately engageable with other water supplied devices such as a drinking water dispenser. Further, such a device should be easily adaptable to existing faucet installations which employ drain rod controls, or, provideable with new faucets as a complete unit. Finally, such a device should provide a sealed conduit pathway for water or liquid from below the counter top to the surface above the counter top, without the need to retrofit or cut holes in the counter top, thereby rendering the device easy to install.
With respect to the above description, before explaining at least one preferred embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangement of the components or steps set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings, nor just to the preparation of food. The various apparatus and methods of the invention are capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways which will be obvious to those skilled in the art once they review this disclosure. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for designing of other devices, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present disclosed device. It is important, therefore, that the objects and claims be regarded as including such equivalent construction and methodology insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Further objectives of this invention will be brought out in the following part of the specification, wherein detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing the invention without placing limitations thereon.